by C. A. Kunz
“So Cat, how do you feel about not being Kirsten’s BFF anymore? Devastated, I’m sure,” Julie chimed in.
“Well, I’ve been feeling a little down lately, but I think I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that I’ll have to settle for you guys instead,” she replied, sighing dramatically with the back of her hand pressed to her forehead.
Elle stood in front of Cat’s full length mirror. “Do you think I’ve put on weight? I think I have,” she said, answering her own question.
“Yeah, you have. I noticed yesterday when you had those skinny jeans on,” Cat commented, looking at her. Elle beamed, smiling broadly. Her goal that year was to put some meat on her skinny frame. She hated that her metabolism was so high, and that everything she ate just melted away.
Flinging herself on Cat’s bed, Amanda groaned, “I wish I had your problem, Elle.”
“Elle, you should be happy you’re slim and can eat anything and everything. I just look at a brownie and gain like ten pounds,” Julie sighed.
Matt reclined on Cat’s floor pillows and looked up from his reading. “I just don’t get you women. All you ever worry about is your weight. Okay, except for Cat, she doesn’t complain…that much. But, hey guys, look on the bright side, you could all be ugly.” Cat laughed as her three female friends picked up throw pillows from her bed and tossed them at him.
“Matt, I think you better keep quiet,” Cat said, laughing again. “Hey, what’s that on the back cover?” she asked, pointing at the magazine. “Oh my gosh! It’s an ad for the new Robert Craven movie coming out in the spring! Darkness Awakes!”
“Oh, I can’t wait to see that one!” Amanda exclaimed, grabbing the magazine from Matt. Everyone huddled around her looking over her shoulder at the magazine. “Wow, look who’s in it! I think I’m going to faint! I absolutely, positively think he’s the hottest,” she screamed.
“He’s to die for! He’s a god! Not!” Matt responded sarcastically while rolling his eyes.
“I’m so glad we made a pact to see the movies, and then read the books. It makes the movies much scarier,” Amanda commented.
“Reading the books after was meh. Don’t get me wrong, Craven’s an awesome writer, but the books were just like the movies. I should’ve just watched the movie again, or read the cliffnotes,” Matt interjected.
“Hey Matt, won’t you be driving by then?” Julie asked.
“Oh yeah, that’s right. We could all go in my wheels,” he replied.
“What wheels? Your ten-speed bike?” Amanda asked while playfully pushing him.
“No. Actually I have it on good authority that for my birthday, the parentals are giving me the old red Corvette in the garage. It’s supposed to be a secret, but I overheard them talking when they thought I wasn’t home,” Matt said with a mischievous grin.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Amanda quipped.
“Wait, isn’t the Corvette a two-seater? How will you be able to chauffer us around in that?” Cat asked.
“Ah, come on, we could all just cram in,” Matt replied jokingly.
Miss Amaya smiled broadly at the faces before her. “Okay class, let’s get started. Today we’re going to talk about full moons and the winter solstice.” After pulling down a large map of the world, she continued, “As you all know the Northern Hemisphere is everything above the equator, and the Southern Hemisphere is everything below. What you might not know though, is that during this month of December, on the 21st, an event occurs which is named the Winter Solstice. This is when the sun’s position in the sky is at its greatest distance from the Northern Hemisphere.” While scanning the classroom she noticed the confused looks on many of the student’s faces. “That means, it causes our nights to be longer and days to be shorter.” A resounding “Ohhhh” filled the room. She smiled while gathering her thoughts, and realized that everyone was enthralled with her words. “Now, in the Southern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice starts on June 21st. Whether it’s December or June, the 21st is the longest night and shortest day of the year. In many cultures there are festivals which celebrate this event.”
Miss Amaya rolled the world map back up and then pulled down a large picture of the moon. “I also want to touch on full moons, specifically the names of the December and January ones. The rest are in your book if you’d like to read about them later. Now, December’s moon is known as the Full Cold Moon,” she said, pointing at the picture of the moon. “Again, this moon ties into the Winter Solstice because its name describes the period of long, cold, and dark nights. Now January’s moon is a special one. It’s known as the Wolf Moon. According to Native American folklore, during this moon, in the cold deep snows of midwinter, packs of wolves would howl hungrily near their villages. And, it is said that under this moon, the wolves were to be more ravenous and vicious than usual. Almost as if acting on their most primitive instincts to hunt and eat, hence the name Wolf Moon. There is also a well-known urban legend regarding this moon and humans who carry the wolf gene. As the legend goes, these beings are forced to change into their wolf form during this full moon only. And it’s interesting to note that transforming at any other time is actually their choice.”
A hand shot up. “Miss Amaya, do you mean werewolves?”
“Yes, Candace, I do mean werewolves.” A howl went up from the back of the class. “Bobby Thompson that will be enough,” Miss Amaya said, grinning widely. Laughter echoed throughout the room. Cat thought about all the werewolf movies she had ever seen. They all made it seem werewolves were forced to change every month during the full moon. I guess they didn’t read up on the Native American’s knowledge on the subject.
“Now, speaking of werewolves, how many of you actually believe they exist?” Miss Amaya queried. The whole class looked around at each other waiting for someone to raise their hand first. A couple of hands slowly went up. “Very interesting, so we have a lot of skeptics, huh?” she asked, rubbing her chin and scanning the classroom. “Well, please allow me to continue to enlighten you. As you all might know, werewolves are half man and half wolf. And in a transformed state, a werewolf has superhuman strength. And though they stand on their hind legs, they are much faster when running on all fours, like wolves normally do. I bet you didn’t know that the amount of force a werewolf can put into a single bite is a little more than 2,000 pounds per square inch,” Miss Amaya explained and then clapped her hands together like jaws snapping shut, startling the whole class. Noticing Cat’s hand in the air, “Catherine, do you have a question?”
“Miss Amaya, do you really believe werewolves exist?”
“Well, like I always say, even though I’ve never seen it, it doesn’t mean it isn’t so,” she said, winking at Cat.
“Honey, could you grab us a shopping cart?” Rachel asked, moving ahead of Cat into the grocery store. The cart made a squeaking noise as Cat pushed it forward.
“Why do I always get the one with a bum wheel?” she groaned. Looking to her right, Cat noticed a huge bulletin board plastered with flyers with the word “missing” boldly written at the top of each. Below it hung a grainy picture of a young girl. The message underneath mentioned she was a junior from Pike county who went missing the week before. She was last seen walking home from school and the police had no leads in the case. Her parents were offering a reward for anyone with information, listing several numbers to call. “Mom, look at this. A girl went missing.” Rachel had walked ahead of Cat into the produce section. Upon hearing her request she came back to stand beside her.
“Yeah, we discussed it at our last group meeting. I really do feel for her parents. I can’t imagine what they’re going through. I’m so glad that you’re always surrounded by your friends, Cat. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, sweetie. Now, let’s get back to shopping. Dad and Taylor will beat us home with the Christmas tree if we dawdle.” Cat pushed the cart, following her mom, thinking about the missing girl and what could’ve happened to her.
Monday morning arrived with a fresh layer of snow. A
s Cat emerged from her house, she was hit by a snowball. After sputtering and shaking snow out of her hair, she turned and saw Matt gathering more. Cat threw her messenger bag to the ground and then crouched behind Taylor’s car, scooping a handful of snow up in the process. She peeked around the car and spied Matt trying to hide behind a bush. Cat knew this was the perfect place to hide. Matt wouldn’t dare throw anything near Taylor’s baby, unless he wanted to die a slow, horrible, and miserable death.
“Hey, Cat, that’s not fair! Hiding behind your brother’s car! Ow!” he shouted as a snowball hit him in the back of the head. He turned and saw Amanda, who was bundled up like an Eskimo, grinning and picking up more snow. “Ow!” He turned again as Cat’s snowball hit the back of his neck, sending snow down his shirt.
“That’ll teach you, Matthew Ian Thomas, to mess around with us women,” Amanda shouted triumphantly.
“You guys just wait. I’ll get you back,” he replied.
“Let’s go guys, got to get to work,” Aurora hollered, honking the van’s horn, motioning at them to get in. By the time the three reached the van, Julie and Elle came flying across the street toward them. “Sorry guys, the heater is not working. Bernie has to take a look at it when he gets back in town. Good thing you’re all dressed warmly,” Aurora chuckled as she began pulling away from the curb.
The group arrived at school with only minutes to spare before the first bell. Cat waved goodbye to her friends and ran down the hallway.
“Ms. Colvin, stop running this instant!” There was no mistaking the hate-filled voice of Mr. Crawley.
“You miserable old fart,” she said under her breath as she continued walking briskly down the hall.
Morning announcements came over the PA system as Cat took her seat. “Students, I know this is the last week of school until break, but that doesn’t mean this is free time. I expect you to be on your best behavior. And I want no trouble for the remainder of the semester. Oh, also you’ll notice we’re posting flyers around the campus regarding the local girl who went missing.” Principal Landers’s voice came through loud and clear. “I know it happened miles away, but I want you all to be aware and be careful in your daily travels. We’re suggesting you travel in pairs at all times. That is all. Happy studying!”
Cat turned to Hannah while shaking her head, “Scary, huh?”
Hannah’s eyes were big. “Yeah, it is,” she replied.
Wednesday afternoon was Cat’s last tutoring session before the holidays. Mr. Crawley, or Mr. Scrooge as he was currently being called, deemed that Thursday and Friday would be test days. Both tests were rumored to last the whole period and he reminded his class that they would not be easy. Like any of his students needed a reminder of that.
He’s late again! Cat thought to herself, sitting alone in the library. It’s like he doesn’t want to come anymore. Did I do something? Ugh! Boys are so frustrating. Thumbing through her math book, she tried to figure out that day’s lesson, but was unable to concentrate. She was nervous about tonight’s session. Ryan had been really standoffish the past few weeks and he hadn’t even mentioned the regional swim meet. She had asked him time after time if he wanted her to find another tutor. She was met every time with a resounding “NO!”
The slam of a backpack on the table startled her. “Sorry Cat, I was late for practice this morning. Coach made me run laps after school,” Ryan said, hoping she wouldn’t see through his lie.
“Hello, Mr. Beckford. Ready to face the challenge once again of trying to help me absorb this horrid subject?” Cat asked, forcing a laugh, and trying not to show her true emotion.
“Yeah, let’s get started. I have something to do later. Do you mind if we make this quick?” he asked nonchalantly, taking out his notebook.
Jealousy bubbled up inside her as she wondered what he had to do later. I wonder who his hot date is! “Yeah, I have something to do later, too,” she stated, groaning to herself and thinking, yeah and that something is studying.
What is she doing later? And who is she doing it with? Ryan wondered, getting flustered as he thought about the possibility of her going out with another guy.
“Ryan?” Cat’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Pointing to the page in her book, “Page 205. That was today’s lesson. Let’s start there, okay?” she said coldly.
“Right, let’s get to it,” he replied, equally as cold.
Later that evening Cat laid propped up in bed, her unopened math book in front of her. She finally felt warm after the cold study session with Ryan. She had quickly made her exit minutes before their time was up. She was thankful Taylor was waiting for her in the parking lot. Did I even say goodbye to him? She wondered but couldn’t remember. Who cares, he’s too busy thinking about his hot date to pay attention to me anyway.
Her room, which was usually a source of comfort, was now only a painful reminder of her and Ryan’s first study session together. He said he loved her colorful floor cushions that were scattered around the room and raved about her large TV and stereo system. He even made mention of her antique wooden Victorian desk that housed her laptop. She blushed as she thought back to both of them sitting close on her large wooden sleigh bed, her math book being shared between their knees. He called the view from her widow’s walk spectacular and could easily see why she spent many hours on it, watching the world go by. “Cat, get a grip! You need to study!” she said out loud while opening her math book.
Across town, Ryan stood in his darkened bedroom watching the snow flurries gracefully drift and pile up on his window sill. He looked down at the wrapped gift in his hand. Peeling back the piece of wrapping paper he had folded and taped to it, he sighed. The paper read:
To: Cat
From: Ryan
Merry Christmas!
“You fool! You should’ve just given her the gift. Why did you have to lie to her about having something to do tonight? You’re so stubborn,” he argued with himself. In some ways, Ryan was avoiding her. She seemed hurt by his attitude lately, but he had to do it. He refused to cause more problems for her. This was the only thing he could do to keep his group at bay. Normally he wouldn’t care about what Isaac and the others thought, but he didn’t want them hurting her. If only she knew his true feelings. If only she knew how hard it was for him to rein in his emotions every time she was around. He had never felt this way about anyone or anything before. He missed her, but to protect her he kept his distance, no matter how difficult it was.
December 21st, the day of the Winter Solstice, definitely lived up to its name. Overnight, six inches of snow blew in from the north. The plows were up early that morning, making sure the roads were clear and safe. The children of Astoria were becoming more excited as they marked their calendars, noting that there were only three more days until the man in the red suit would pay a visit. Stores were overly crowded, as if everyone just realized how many shopping days were left. Men could be seen scratching their heads in the women’s departments of the stores, trying to figure out what to get their wives. Most trees had a multitude of gaily-wrapped presents under them already, making the recipients guess what they contained. Yes, winter had arrived, but the many flyers that were still littered all over town remained a constant reminder of the young girl who was still missing.
Christmas passed as a blur. Cat’s house had been filled with family and close friends. There was such an abundance of food that they could have fed a small army. After eating, everyone exchanged gifts. Wrapping paper cluttered the floor and Sam passed out large black garbage bags so everyone could help pick up. After the festivities, Cat and her friends retired to her room, dragging their new treasures with them. “I think I ate too much,” Matt moaned, lying on the bed and holding his stomach.
“You think?” asked Amanda. “I lost count of how many times you filled your plate. Not to mention the snacking you did before dinner.”
“But it was oh so good, why didn’t any of you stop me?” he asked, looking accusingly at his friends. “You all k
now I’ve got no willpower when it comes to good food.” Matt grabbed a pillow and covered his head. Ignoring him, the others grabbed floor cushions and sprawled out while listening to Cat’s audiobook copy of Red Twilight.
Amanda sat up and removed the gaudy reindeer Christmas sweater her mom had knitted for her, and then flopped back down. “I’m finished…done…I can’t move another muscle, wake me up when it’s New Year’s,” she said, closing her eyes.
“Ditto,” Elle concurred.
“Hey, do any of you think Mr. Crawley got a lump of coal in his stocking?” Cat asked jokingly.
“I kind of feel sorry for him. He probably has no friends, and maybe that’s why he’s the way he is.”
“Oh Elle, just face it. He’s a crotchety mean little man who deserves a whole coal mine’s worth of coal!” Amanda exclaimed.
On January 3rd, when school opened its doors again, it was a subdued crowd that entered first period. “Well students, welcome back,” Principal Landers’s cheerful voice echoed through the school’s PA. “I hope you had a restful time during your break and are ready to tackle another semester.” Groans could be heard all around. “Now, on to the morning announcements…wait a minute…we have a visitor.” The PA system went silent. Several seconds went by before her voice came through again. “Attention, everyone! Our visitor, Sheriff Barry Stokes, would like a few words with you.”
“Thank you, Ms. Landers. I’m afraid I have some disturbing news. An hour ago I received word that another girl has gone missing. The young lady is another junior from Pike County. She was last seen last night just outside of Covington County, which puts her disappearance a little closer to home. I want everyone to be very careful. Try not to go anywhere alone. Travel only in groups. Everyone needs to be vigilant. If you see anything suspicious, please call us. This is a very serious matter. Thank you for your time.” A shiver of fear was felt throughout the school as Principal Landers came on again to sign off. The joy of the holidays receded to the back of everyone’s mind.